1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to enlarging the diameter of a subterranean borehole, and more specifically to enlarging the borehole below a portion thereof which remains at a lesser diameter.
2. State of the Art
It is known to employ both eccentric and bi-center bits to enlarge a borehole below a tight or undersized portion thereof.
An eccentric bit includes an extended or enlarged cutting portion which, when the bit is rotated about its axis, produces an enlarged borehole. An example of an eccentric bit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,738.
A bi-center bit assembly employs two longitudinally-superimposed bit sections with laterally offset axes. The first axis is the center of the pass through diameter, that is, the diameter of the smallest borehole the bit will pass through. This axis may be referred to as the pass through axis. The second axis is the axis of the hole cut as the bit is rotated. This axis may be referred to as the drilling axis. There is usually a first, lower and smaller diameter pilot section employed to commence the drilling, and rotation of the bit is centered about the drilling axis as the second, upper and larger diameter main bit section engages the formation to enlarge the borehole, the rotational axis of the bit assembly rapidly transitioning from the pass through axis to the drilling axis when the full diameter, enlarged borehole is drilled.
Rather than employing a one-piece drilling structure such as an eccentric bit or a bi-center bit to enlarge a borehole below a constricted or reduced-diameter segment, it is also known to employ an extended bottomhole assembly (extended bi-center assembly) with a pilot bit at the distal end thereof and a reamer assembly some distance above. This arrangement permits the use of any standard bit type, be it a rock bit or a drag bit, as the pilot bit, and the extended nature of the assembly permits greater flexibility when passing through tight spots in the borehole as well as the opportunity to effectively stabilize the pilot bit so that the pilot hole and the following reamer will traverse the path intended for the borehole. This aspect of an extended bottomhole assembly is particularly significant in directional drilling.
While all of the foregoing alternative approaches can be employed to enlarge a borehole below a reduced-diameter segment, the pilot bit with reamer assembly has proven to be the most effective overall. The assignee of the present invention has, to this end, designed as reaming structures so-called "reamer wings" in the very recent past, which reamer wings generally comprise a tubular body having a fishing neck with a threaded connection at the top thereof, and a tong die surface at the bottom thereof, also with a threaded connection. The upper mid-portion of the reamer wing includes one or more longitudinally-extending blades projecting generally radially outwardly from the tubular body, the outer edges of the blades carrying superabrasive (also termed superhard) cutting elements, commonly termed PDC's (for Polycrystalline Diamond Compact). The lower mid-portion of the reamer wing may include a stabilizing pad having an arcuate exterior surface of the same or slightly smaller radius than the radius of the pilot hole on the exterior of the tubular body and longitudinally below the blades. The stabilizer pad is characteristically placed on the opposite side of the body with respect to the reamer blades so that the reamer wing will ride on the pad due to the resultant force vector generated by the cutting of the blade or blades as the enlarged borehole is cut. The aforementioned reamer wing as described and as depicted herein is not acknowledged or admitted to constitute prior art to the invention described and claimed herein.
While the aforementioned reamer wing design has enjoyed some success, it has been recognized by the invention herein that the device, as presently constructed, may not effectively and efficiently address the problem or task of achieving a rapid transition from pass through to full hole or "drill" diameter which closely tracks the path of the pilot bit and which does not unduly load the blades or bottomhole assembly during the transition. Since the reamer wing may have to re-establish a full diameter borehole multiple times during its drilling life in a single borehole, due to washouts and doglegs of the pilot hole, rapid transitioning ability when reaming is restarted as well as a robust design which can accommodate multiple transitions without significant damage is desirable.